The Role of Leader Autonomy Support in Shaping Construction Workers' Safety Compliance: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

The construction industry is plagued by frequent safety incidents, often attributed to non-compliant safety behaviors. While leadership has been identified as a key factor in shaping safety behaviors, the specific impact of leader autonomy support (LAS) remains underexplored in the context of construction worker safety behavior. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study investigates the impact of LAS on construction workers’ safety compliance within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Data were collected from 283 construction workers in China using a cross-sectional survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that LAS positively influences workers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Notably, LAS indirectly promotes safety compliance through attitude but does not have a significant impact through subjective norms or PBC. These findings suggest that an autonomy-supportive leadership style can create a safer work environment by encouraging active safety compliance. This study contributes to existing research by integrating LAS into the TPB, offering new insights into leadership’s role in influencing safety behavior. It also offers practical recommendations for supervisors, emphasizing the need to support workers' autonomy as a strategy to improve safety compliance and reduce non-compliance in construction practices.